Melting pot



Patented Aug. 16, 1927.

PATENT o1-"Fics,

.Ul-NJTED STATE-'S JOSEPH 0. LUrHtoF ser @Momes-EMS- 1 MELTING rom.

Appnafign med December 7, 1925.` serial No. 73,803.

The invention relatesto a novel Aform of melting pot primarily adapted for melting relatively soft meta-l scrap, such .as .grids of old secondary Abattery plates and .the like, and comprises a centralbowl surrounded by a shelf extend-ing from and inclined towardthe periphery of the "bowl, upon which the scrap isV deposited, `so that-the .initial fusion taires placeon the shelfand the molten metal runs into the bowl, leaving the `vdross-onthe shelf whence it 'may be readily removed.v

To facilitate the Aheating of Athe shel. f,-rthe latter .preferably is surroundedby -a pendant skirt or apron, which .causes the flaniefrom' vthe burner disposed below the bowl to traverseA the lunder `face of the shelf before the products ef combustion escape under the lower peripheral edge of the apron. The inyention also contemplates,associating the lo vmelting pot with an annular ,table, upon The invention is illustratetlinlthe CC0mnaming drawings, lulu-M0111 'Fig l IS .a ,persen-.tive ,View ,Partly-broken away, illusltrng a cgmlld melting P0t :and drying plumber.

.Figi 2 'is `a ,Simile-r view Showing .a sim-Q Referring 't0 Fig-.1 ofthe .dreumes L1 ,indiques .the .annular .tQp 0f .a Supportms table, which iS '.nrovideduth a 'peripheral rim 2 and .apentral flange `3 surrounding the; ppenin'g in ,thetable' ,"Themanged rim of the-,table top is ,'prroiidedfat,intervals4v with -lianged vopenings l. The table yissupported by less 6 .eu-seeing S'ikets l5, which' lat-ter are ,ier-meid as intel-final fPOltOnS, @f1-the i091 and the-whale .is Preferably .formed 'of a 5 .wang am ne like.. *Referat the .upper sur-face .fofalle :annular table ,has .a

slight f-mlhaton @Ward-'the' @niemand is moulded with zriowww@rely flare@ hele er .oper-line @Climent flange a ,tonnellerie man1 @at au n le@ .en thaise-1e Mounted on the table-like support is the meltingpot and' its accessories, which includey a ICentral bowl 12 which overlies the flanged opening in the top of the supporting ltabla-theupper edgel of vthe bowl 12 being surrounded bywa shelf or flange 11, preferably circular in contour and inclined inwardly from its outer periphery to its line of juncture with the bowl, .so Vas to form an inclined platform to receivethe scrap or other material to be melted. The outer periphery of they shelf -11is vprovided* with an upstanding flange 10, which is interrupted at 17 'toA provide tan opening through which the `aecumulationof dross 'or foreign solid material on the shelf may bescraped orA votherwise removed. Extending. downwardly 'from the marginal flange 10 .are legs 13,

` adapt-ed to vengage the upper redge of ythe flange 2l on the supporting table 1, .and to,` be held invposition by upstanding lugs 7y formed integrallywith the said flange 2. It will be noted that, when the melting pot, including the central bowl andthe surrounding shelf,issupported'onthe table-like element, 'a relativelylarge space is provided' Abetween the top of the table land the shelf 11 ofthe tmelting pot, which space'is utilized as a chamber or compartment for drying and preliminarily heating A scrap or other material to be subsequently melted, and also, under certain conditions, in which the'metal of the scrap may be melted ign-*whole or in part, the molten metal discharging .through flared opening 8 into a suitable receptacle, from which it may ybe transferred. to the pot In order toproperly enclose said chamber, the spaces between the legs 13 of the melting pot are closed by ,panel-like zelements 14, which are suspended from l.the marginal flangelO of the shelf 11 by hooks 15, s o `t'hatfthe panel-like members may be readily Aremnoved'and replaced'. It 'will be particularly noted that the elements 1d constitute a .pendant apron .or slrirtin'g surrounding thepot and shelf andserve to preyent the products vof combustion escaping` over the peripheral edge of the table and cause the products top ass .down the' inner walls of the skirting, ,thereby yenhancing Iand li1 1 creasingthe heating elfect. Obviously instead of employingthe panel-like elements for closing the space between thesnelf '11 Iandthe table .tcp 1,'the 'Shel-f il frnay be apron which will support the shelf and pot, the rim being provided with a. suitable opening to give access to the heating chamber.

The annular top 1 ofthe supporting table may be used without covering but if scrap battery plates containing su phur or sulphuric acid are to be dried thereon it is preferably covered by sheet asbestos or other acid and heat resisting material to prevent such battery scrap coming in contact with metal. This asbestos covering can be treated with an application of silicate of soda to make the surface more durable.

Disposed below the central opening in the top of table 1 is a burner` 20 of any suitable type, which directs the heating flame through a central opening in the table top and against the bottom of the bowl 12, the flame and the products of combustion resulting therefrom being then diverted along the sides of the bowl and against the under surface of the shelf 11, thence downwardly along the side walls of the preheating and drying chamber and ultimately escaping through the openings l.

In operating this particular form of the apparatus, .if the scrap requires a Ypreliminary drying, asL would be the case if it included the grids of old secondary battery plates, it is preferably placed on the top of the table or support 1, through the opening formed by removing one of the panels 11i, so that the products of combustion from the burner will pass over the scrap, as they traverse the walls of the drying chamber. The scrap to be melted is placed upon the shelf 11, which is heated by direct contact with the fiame from the burner or the products of combustion, so that the scrap is melted andV the molten metal runs down the inf clined surface of the shelf 1l. into the central bowl 12, the metal being maintained in a highly fluid condition by the flame from the burner which impinges directly on the bottom of the bowl. As the fusible material of the scrap is melted and runs down into the bowl, the infusible elements thereof, such as the oxide coatings and solid impurities, are

left upon the upper surface of the shelf whence they may be scraped oil' or discharged through the opening 17 in the flange surrounding the shelf. Likewise any dross or skimmings from the metal in pot 12 may be placed on shelf 11 so that `the metal taken off with the slrimmings will drain back into the pot. It will be particularlynoted that a very large proportion of the heat available from the flame supplied by the burner is utilized in drying and prelimi-Y narily heating the scrap and in melting the latter and that the bulk of the molten metal of the scrap is delivered into the central bowl with comparatively little contaminating dross or foreign material. It will also be observed that the scrap, which is preliminarily treated in the drying chamber or compartment, when brought to proper condition by the heat treatment therein, is removed from said chamber and placed on the shelf 11 of the melting pot, so that the time required to melt the metallic constituents of the scrap is reduced to the minimum.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2, the central bowl 12 is surrounded by the inclined annular shelf 11', as in Fig, 1, the peripheral edge of the shelf being provided with a skirting 10, which forms an upstanding flange .above the surface of the table and a pendant apron below the table, the latter having legs 6 securedthereto, by means of which the melting pot is supported in proper elevated' position above the central burner 20, the flame from which impinges on the bottom of the bowl 12, i` thence deflected along the ui'idersurface of the shelf 1l', then passes' downthe inner walls of the skirting 10, and finally escapes under the lower edgeof said skirting.V In the particular embodiment oftheinifention, no drying or preheating chamber is provided, but the scrap,lor vother soft metal to be melted,y is placed .direct-ly upon the inclined table 11,yfromwhich the vmolten metal rims directly intothe bowl 12", leaving the dross on the surface of the table whence it may be scraped and discharged through the lateral opening 17 in the flange surrounding the shelf. Y

What I claim is:

1. A melting pot comprising a central bowl, a shelf surrounding, and inclined toward the periphery of the bowl to support the material being melted, means for supporting the shelf and bowl,

Vand a burner disposed below the bowl.

2. A melting pot comprising a central bowl, a shelf surrounding, extending from and inclined toward the periphery of the bowl to support the material being melted, a pendant apron surrounding the shelf, and a burner disposed'below the bowl.A

3. A -melting pot comprising a ycentral bowl, an annular shelf extending from and inclined toward the periphery of the bowl to support the material being melted, a pendant apron surrounding the shelf, and a burner disposed below the bowl.

4. A melting Apot comprising a central bowl, an annular shelf extendingy from and inclined toward'the periphery of the bowl to support the material beingmelted, a rim and pendant apron' surrounding the shelf, and a burner disposed below the bowl.

5. A melting pot comprising a central bowl, an annular shelf lextending from and inclined toward4 the' peripheryV of the bowl to support the material being melted, an annular base,rmeans for supporting the shelf and bowl in spaced relation upon the base to form a heating chamber `between the bowl extending from and shelf and the base, and a burner for directing a flame through the central opening in the base against the bottom of the bowl.

6. A melting pot comprising a central bowl, an annular shelf extending from and inclinedtoward the periphery ofthe bowl, legs extending from said shelf, an annular base upon which the bowl and shelf are supported by the legs to form a heating chamber below the bowl and shelf, removable panels closing the space between the legs,

and a burner for directing a flame through.

directing a flame through the central open-v ing in the base against the bottom of the bowl.

8. A melting pot comprising al centralA bowl, an annular shelf extending from and inclined toward the periphery of the bowl, anl annular base, means for supporting the shelf and bowl in spaced relation upon the base to form a heating chamber between the bowl and shelf and the base, a covering of aci-d and heat resisting materialon said base, and a burner for directing a flame through the central opening in the base. against the bottom of the bowl. i

9. A melting` pot comprising a. central bowl, an annular shelf extending from and inclined toward the periphery of the bowl, a rim surrounding the shelf, legs extending from said shelf` an annular base covered with acid and heat resisting material upon which the bowl and shelf are supported by the legs to form a heating chamber below the bowl and shelf, removable panels closing the space between the legs, hooks on the panels engaging the rim of the she-lf, and a burner for directing a llame through the central 1cpening in the base against the bottom of the owl. l

l0. A melting pot comprising a central bowl, a shelf extending from and inclined toward thepperiphery of the bowl to support the material being melted,'a burner disposed below theI bowl, and a support below the bowl and adjacent the burner to receive material to be dried by the products of'combustion from the burner.

In testimonywhereof I alix my signature.

JOSEPH o. LUTHY, 

